Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/133302
BORDEAUX The Right (Bank) Approach to 2012 TOP BORDEAUX ESTATES PUT THE BEST FACE ON "A DIFFICULT VINTAGE" by Tim Moriarty PHOTO: ALAN "BATTMAN" BATT Just Right Tim Moriarty's picks for the best of the tasting: Château de Pressac 2012 SaintÉmilion Grand Cru Classé Very tannic, but structure is there. Should age beautifully, classically. Château Fayat 2012 Pomerol Plummy fruit enlivened by acidity framed in tannins already showing some silk. Chateau Gaby 2012 Canon-Fronsac Lovely fruit, solid structure, exquisite balance. Château Le Prieuré 2012 SaintÉmilion Grand Cru Classé Cherry fruit and Graham cracker notes, nicely framed. Château Rol Valentin 2012 SaintÉmilion Grand Cru Cigar and earthy notes deepen the fruit. Long finish. PHOTO COURTESY OF ORIENT-EXPRESS HOTELS LTD. Alain Raynaud (left), President of Le Cercle Rive Droite, and Jacques Azoulay, CEO of importer and distributor Gabriella Fine Wine. O n April 18, members of the trade were invited to taste recent vintages of Le Cercle Rive Droit, an exclusive organization of 143 châteaux along the Right Bank of the Gironde estuary in Bordeaux. Thirty-two producers showcased their wines at the New York event, which was held at Millesime Restaurant in the Carlton Hotel. Appellations represented include Pomerol, Saint-Émilion, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé and Fronsac. The primary purpose of the tasting was to showcase the 2012 vintage, though producers also poured 2009s and 2010s. Following the sporadic 2011 vintage, there was an air of caution in regard to 2012. Every producer characterized it as a "difficult" year: heavy spring rain and chill, a long dry summer capped by extreme August heat, and late rain in the fall. Most producers harvested weeks later than customary, and yields were low. "A difficult, late year, but we have good terroir so we will be successful," was Philip Pratt, Wine Director of the a common refrain among 21 Club in New York City. producers. "Better to have a great estate in a difficult vintage, yes?" says Jacques Azoulay, CEO of importer and distributor Gabriella Fine Wines, who organized the tasting. He acknowledged that the 2012 wines may "lack intensity but they are balanced, layered." Many of the 2012s were remarkably accessible given their infancy; the tannins did not exhibit the extreme tannic grip characteristic of young Bordeaux. Philip Pratt, Wine Director of the 21 Club in New York, believes that this early accessibility may not be a problem commercially. "Twenty-five years ago, if you had a bottle of Bordeaux that was too young, it was not a pleasant experience," says Pratt. "You can enjoy these wines at an earlier age, but it doesn't seem to be affecting their ageability, as long you've got that good acidity there." On the other hand, says Pratt, the 2012s "may not be the longhaul wines, but you have to have something to drink in between too. For someone in my position in a restaurant, you want wines that are accessible now." 42 / the tasting panel / june 2013 TP0613_042-79.indd 42 5/23/13 4:32 PM